Posters that were put up by Progress SA around Stellenbosch University (SU) campus last week, were torn down just as quickly as they were put up. Progress SA is a grassroots student movement that was formed on the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) campus.
Students on SU campus tear down Progress SA posters soon after they were put up. PHOTO: Twitter
Progress SA members were quite surprised by the fact that photos of ripped up posters were circulating on social media. Students on campus took particular offence to a poster reading “Yes, black people can be racist too.”
“Very few of our posters at UCT were ripped down. In the first two days here, all of ours were taken down,” says Scott Roberts, Secretary of Progress SA.
“The whole point of putting that message on was for people to think about it, and then discuss it amongst themselves,” says Tami Jackson, Chairperson of Progress SA. “Not many students were able to tell us exactly what they disagreed with about the messages on the posters. And I think the reason we chose that specific message is because there’s been this persistent narrative that people of colour can’t be racist – which we obviously disagree with. It’s so prevalent at institutions that it’s become acceptable. No one actually questions whether it’s right or wrong.”
The purpose of putting up the posters was for Progress SA to stimulate a conversation. PHOTO: Twitter
Similar posters were put up on UCT campus that included quotes by actual students, along with their names, ages, and what they were studying. While the posters were “a bit more attention-seeking”, UCT students apparently received them much better than SU students.
“The purpose of those posters was to create a conversation and we believe that we achieved that goal,” says Tariq Khan, spokesperson of Progress SA.
The purpose of the posters was to encourage students to attend a discussion hosted by Progress SA on 19 August. The discussion was led by former Head of Policy for the Democratic Alliance, Gwen Ngwenya. Ngwenya turned down a seat in Parliament in May.
Her speech centred on “South Africa after race” and proposed a “framework of our prospects after race.”
Gwen Ngwenya speaking on “South Africa after race” at a discussion hosted by Progress SA on Monday. PHOTO: Liezl Human
Opening up the discussion, Ngwenya comments, “I’m not expecting very agreeable responses. In fact, quite the opposite. If something challenging comes up, I think it will allow me to go back and rethink some of the assumptions and arguments that I make.”
Ngwenya’s speech painted a landscape of South Africa without BEE and affirmative action. She argued for the removal of race-based policy such as BEE, as this apparently seems to be even more divisive to South African society.
Ngwenya explained that she is by no means against redress, however, she questions the means by which redress is achieved. As opposed to a race-based policy, she argues for a merit-based policy instead.
“I’m quite happy with the speaker we brought to our event today,” says Khan. “There was a lot of healthy discussion and debate between the speaker and the participants.”
“It’s about creating a space to actually discuss the idea,” says Alex Weiss, an activist for Progress SA. “At the end of the day, you go to university to learn how to think critically. But if you’re just being told, and you can’t rebut, that’s where the problem is and that’s how Progress fights back.”
An exciting Q&A took place after Ngwenya’s speech. PHOTO: Catherine Del Monte
Roberts explains that the objective of Progress SA, as a movement, is to encourage a “battle of ideas” and a diversity of viewpoints.
“The intention is always to increase the diversity of views on campus,” says Roberts. “The more that we debate an issue, by having as many different points of view as possible, the more likely we are to get to the best and most moral answer. I think our concern right now is that South African university campuses have become very ideologically homogenous.”
“This is what we really value about the battle of ideas,” he continues. “The only sustainable solution is to create a conversation, have really good arguments, and change people’s minds.”
Ngwenya’s speech was recorded and will be available to watch online.
Written by Liezl Human & Catherine Del Monte